A New York Times poll released on Dec. 19 said 49% of voters between the ages of 18-29 prefer former President Donald Trump compared to 43% for Biden, 81, should the two meet in a rematch of the 2020 election.
A Monmouth University poll in October found that 76% of voters – including 56% of Democrats – believe Biden is too old to serve effectively in a second term. Forty-eight percent believe Trump, 77, is too old.
Don't retire on us, man
"I don't mean to rag on the President of the United States, but honestly he's acting like a retiree. It's been reported that over 40% of Joe Biden's presidency has been spent on vacation. A lot of Americans, including Gen Z, don't want a president who seems more like he's retired for the next four years after 2024," Kale Ogunbor, a Penn State student, told Fox News.
Generation Z, the age range of 11-26, seems an odd demographic to have such old candidates. Gen Z is the first true generation to have lived lives fully digitally connected.
The New York Post in early October used White House reports of Biden's movements to determine at that time that Biden had spent 382 of his 957 days – 40% - on personal overnight trips away from the White House.
During his term from 2016-2020, Trump spent 26% of his time on personal trips away from the White House.
"There's no way we could stay hired if we spent 40% of our time on vacation. That standard should also apply to the most important office in the entire world. To think they want to lessen his load is concerning. It's also concerning that the White House, instead of being selfless, or Joe Biden himself being selfless, he still wants to run for another four years. It really makes me think, what are his intentions for the next four years for the United States?" Ogunbor said.
"Age has definitely been a problem for Biden his whole presidency, but really I think he's just lacking the cognitive ability to lead the country. Over the last four years we've seen a constant decline in his true ability to lead America. In order to lead the free world, to lead America, you must make hard and complex decisions. I don't think we have that with Biden," Ryan Edwards, another Gen Z voter, said.
A Monmouth poll released in mid-December gave Biden an approval rating of only 34%, an all-time low.
Brilyn Hollyhand, the 17-year-old founder of conservative news outlet The Truth Gazette and the co-chair of the Republican National Committee's Youth Advisory Council, doesn't believe numbers like that – coupled with the effects of age – will allow Biden to run again.
Gen Z'ers won't be shocked to see Newsom
That could open a door for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, he says.
"Maybe we will begin to see over the next few months Biden say he's had some health issues come up, and he's going to let Gavin Newsom, who's been waiting in the wings, come on, but it's been Weekend at Bernie's at the White House ever since Jan. 20, 2021. It's clearly a cognitive decline. He's clearly being propped up by his staff, the First Lady. I think we might see Gavin Newsom come in from the wing soon," Hollyhand said.
Ogunbor said it's important for her peers to study the issues in upcoming election.
"I hope Gen Z doesn't fall for this trap. The Biden administration tried to pass out free student loan debt cancellation just to appease our generation. Hopefully people my age won't fall for this trap pushed by Joe Biden or whoever is actually in charge," she said.
